Lost Sons of Asgard
by IdiotWithaBoxandaScrewdriver
Summary: When Thor is banished to Earth his memories are taken away from him, hiding him from Heimdall's sight. Struggling to understand his place in the world he is recruited by SHIELD. Meanwhile Loki tries to prove his worth and fails, allowing himself to fall. In his madness he seeks to destroy the realm that took his brother from him. Re-imagining of Thor and the Avengers
1. Chapter 1

Star: New story, some Ocs that may be familiar to some who have read my stories, and a lot of fun. I own nothing but the plot and whichever Ocs decide to show up.

Thor fell, through light and sound, not knowing where his father was banishing him. He fought against the Bifrost's hold on him but it was useless. The ground came rushing towards him, faster and faster and then pain exploded in his head and Thor Odinson knew no more.

%&%&%&%

"I am not dying for six college credits!" Darcy screamed gleefully as Jane plunged into the desert storm before them. Jane ignored her, focused on the lights she could see in the sky, needing to get there before they disappeared completely. Unfortunately she was just a little too focused.

"LOOK OUT!" Darcy shrieked. Jane slammed on the brakes, but was too slow to avoid hitting… something. Whatever it was made the whole RV shake with the impact.

"Did we just hit someone?" Darcy said. "I'm not going to jail if we hit someone."

Jane ignored Darcy again to get out of the car, holding her equipment and a flashlight. As she got out of the car something loomed out of the darkness and she shrank back, training her flashlight at it. A massive man blinked in the light, throwing up a hand and staggering backwards a little bit.

"Are you alright, sir?" Eric Selvig asked of the huge man. The man blinked down at the three of them, looking even more massive now that he was looming over them.

"I do not…" He started, looking puzzled. "Where am I?"

"You're in New Mexico, dude, how drunk are you?" Darcy asked with a laugh. He just blinked at her owlishly. "Oookay, probably really drunk."

"We should get him to a hospital." Eric muttered as Jane puttered around with her instruments, taking readings. The event seemed to have left some form of Celtic knotwork on the desert floor.

"What is this?" She asked the man. He looked at her blankly. "Where did you come from? How did you get here?" She asked, trying a different tact. If you're not getting answers using one question, try another question.

"I do not know." He said, his voice accented strangely. "I remember lights…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I do not remember any more."

"See, totally drunk." Darcy said. "We should bring him home, let him sober up."

"Darcy!" Eric hissed.

"What?" Darcy asked. "He can sober up and then Jane can ask him all the questions she wants, right Jane?"

"I think that would be good." Jane agreed. She wanted answers, and this mysterious man was her best bet at them.

"Maybe he should go to a hospital." Eric muttered. "He could be hurt."

"I am uninjured, your device merely knocked me back." The man said. "I do not know where I am, or where to go." He added, looking lost and sad. "I only know that I have lost something precious."

"Well, you can come back with us, sleep, and we'll figure it out in the morning." Jane said decisively. The man smiled at her, stepping closer. She nearly squeaked as he leaned over her, but he simply took her hand in his and kissed the back of it.

"Thank you, my lady." He said. He had such blue eyes. "I am indebted to you."

"Well, I mean, it's only right, we did hit you and it gets cold out here at night and there's scorpions and snakes and…" Jane trailed off, realizing she was babbling. He just smiled at her, bright blue eyes soft for some reason. "I'm Jane."

"I currently do not know who I am, but I will tell you as soon as I am able." He said formally. "Thank you, Jane, for your hospitality." He smiled warmly, and it was like the sun coming out.

"Um, no problem." Jane said, feeling flustered all over again. "You can get in the RV, I just want to take a few more readings."

"Readings?" The man asked, looking at her equipment curiously.

"Um, I study astrophysics, specifically a phenomenon called Einstein-Rosen bridges." Jane explained. "It would probably be better to explain more in the morning when you've had some sleep." She added. He was a remarkably intelligent drunk, if he was in fact a drunk. She sort of doubted he was though, but wasn't sure why.

"As you wish." The man said. He watched her as she did her readings and took pictures, and then followed her into the RV. She probably should have been worried that he could hurt her, but the last time a drunk man had come after her, Darcy had taken him out with a tazer, and Darcy was right behind her, hand in her pocket, so Jane felt plenty safe. She was honestly not even afraid of this man, which was strange, but something she would think about later.

%&%&%&%

The man looked at himself in the mirror and tried to remember what his name was based on his face. He had sun-blonde hair and a short beard to go with it. His eyes were bright blue and his skin was clear and peachy. Nothing about it rang any bells in his head and he finally looked away, sighing.

He left the room he'd slept in and found that the woman, Jane, had fallen asleep practically on the strange equipment she had. He smiled, she looked fretful even in her sleep. Such a small thing, yet so full of life and vigour, he found. She sighed and opened her eyes, blinking up at him.

"You're awake." She said sleepily, pulling long brown hair away from her face.

"I am." He said gravely. "And I still do not remember myself or how I came to be here."

"Oh." Jane visibly deflated.

"I am sorry." He said, because she looked so disappointed.

"It's not your fault, it's just…" She shook her head. "You were at the center of the event, and I was hoping you'd be able to tell me something about it, but you can't, but that's not your fault. Maybe we should take you to see a doctor, since you still can't remember."

"I am sorry." He repeated. "Can you now tell me more about what it is you are doing?"

Jane started hesitantly explaining about her work. He had to stop her to ask questions, but listened intently. She watched him carefully as she spoke, and seemed to gain confidence as she went on. By the end her hands were flailing in the air and she was rosy-cheeked with excitement. She was a beautiful woman.

"You are quite wise to understand so much." He said.

"Most people think I'm crazy for trying to prove this." Jane said, looking away. "Hardly anyone ever listens like you do."

"Then they are fools, for you are wise and should not be taken lightly." He told her. She blushed and looked away from him, fussing with her computer, as she called it.

"Hey, you're awake." The other woman said as she bounced into the room. She was small like Jane, but curvier, with curly dark hair and some form of clear device over dark eyes. "I'm Darcy, what's your name?"

"I do not remember, still." He told her apologetically.

"Well, that sucks." Darcy said empathetically. "We need to come up with something to call you though, can't just be saying 'hey you'."

"I agree." He replied.

"How about Don?" Darcy asked.

"Why Don?" Jane asked, turning in her chair to frown at the other woman.

"Why not?" Darcy replied with a shrug. "I like the name Don."

"Is there something wrong with the name?" He asked.

"No." Jane shook her head. "Nothing wrong with it, I'm just wondering how she came up with it so fast."

"Pfft, strange man comes out of the sky with no name, of course I'm going to think about it." Darcy said, flapping a hand at Jane. "What you say, big guy?"

"Don is fine, for the moment." He replied.

"Excellent, now, who wants coffee?"


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing!

Loki felt like he'd been kicked several times. First his 'father' had told him that he was in fact the spawn of a monster, and then had collapsed, leaving him in charge of Asgard. It felt like a cruel joke, far crueler than any prank he'd ever pulled, and he kept hoping that he'd wake up and find that this was all just some nightmare.

In his heart of hearts he knew everything was true though. How easy it was to explain why he was so different now, how easy it was to explain why Thor was so favoured, and the one to be crowned king, despite his bumbling oafishness. He didn't even look like his so-called parents, black hair and green eyes, by Asgard how had he been so blind? Odin had promised them that they were both meant to be kings, and he hadn't lied, had he? Loki was just meant to be king of the monsters.

He would show Odin his worth though, he had a plan. First he needed to make sure that Thor could not interfere. As much as it pained him to keep Thor away, he could use his boisterous presence right now, he needed to do this without being caught. Besides, Thor was not his brother anyhow, and would turn his back on him if he ever learned the truth.

He strode up to the Bifrost, where Heimdall the gatekeeper was keeping watch. "Gatekeeper, I wish to speak with my brother, bring me to him." Loki said. There was a moment of silence, and Loki's heart plummeted.

"I am sorry, my king." Heimdall said gravely, his gold eyes fixed on Loki. "Thor has gone from my sight."

"What? Gone from your sight, what does that mean?" Loki asked, willing his voice not to shake.

"I cannot see him." Heimdall replied, his voice soft and sorrowful. "I thought, perhaps, the king had used his magic to hide him from me while he was on Midgard, to prevent anyone from Asgard from seeking him out, but such magic would have unraveled when he entered his sleep. I'd not had time yet to tell you, my king."

"Then what? How is he hidden from your sight?" Loki demanded. "He cannot be… dead, can he?"

"I cannot say." Heimdall replied. "He may be, or someone else may be hiding him from me, I do not know." He stared at Loki once more. "I am sorry, my king."

"You have done well, Heimdall, there is no more that you can do." Loki said, hiding his dismay. "You have done well. Alert me if Thor comes back to your sight." He added. Heimdall nodded his head and Loki strode from the chamber, mounting his horse once more.

It did make things simpler, not having to worry about Thor making a reappearance, he thought as he strode back into the palace. Even so, he had to blink away sudden tears. Thor had been his playmate, his defender as often as his tormentor, but that was the way of brothers, was it not? But then, they had never truly been brothers, after all. Still, Thor's absence was like being without one of his limbs, leaving an empty space beside him.

"Loki, my king!" Sif's voice cut through his musings and he turned to face her and the Warriors Three.

"Yes, Lady Sif?" He said stiffly.

"I am sorry, I know this is a difficult time, but we were wondering if you could end Thor's banishment?" She asked hopefully.

"Even if I could, I would not." Loki said. "The Allfather banished him for a reason, I would not assume to go against my father's wishes."

She raised a sceptical eyebrow at him, no doubt remembering everything he'd ever done that was not in Odin's wishes. "Wait, you said if you could." Volstagg said. "What does that mean?"

"Thor has disappeared from Heimdall's sight. We do not know where he has gone." Loki said gravely. "All he knows is that he was sent to Midgard. Nothing more than that."

"You lie." Fandral accused. "You have always been jealous of Thor, and now you use this-"

"Fandral, enough!" Sif said sharply. "Not even Loki would lie about this, would you?" She asked, addressing him.

"Ask the gatekeeper if you are unsure of my honesty." Loki replied sharply. He turned and swept away from them, plans in his head.

%&%&%&%

"Wow, you can really pack it away." Darcy said, sounding impressed. Don sat back, finally feeling full and sighed in contentment. "That was like ten pancakes, almost a whole thing of bacon and two muffins." Darcy said. "Dude, when did you last eat?"

"I remember not." Don said cheerfully. It felt good to be so full.

"Of course not." Darcy said, just as cheerful. She was a delightful thing, so full of life and humour. He had the feeling that someone he knew would have liked her company very much, but he could not place a name or face to that thought. "Here, lemme get a picture of that smile."

Don smiled obligingly at her as she took out a device that she called a phone and did something with it. "Does that satisfy you?" He asked.

"Yeah, you're a really cutie, huh?" Darcy said. Jane got up and walked away from the table.

"Jane?" Don asked, worried he'd done something to offend her.

"Aw, don't worry, she's going back to work." Darcy said, patting him on the arm reassuringly. "No resting for that girl. Let her get it out of her system for a bit and then we'll drag her away for lunch."

"What shall we do in the meantime?" Don asked.

"I've got some video games I could teach you how to play, unless you already know how?" Darcy asked.

"I am afraid I do not." Don said.

"Excellent! Someone I can corrupt to the ways of the gamer!" Darcy cackled happily. Erik looked at her over the paper he was reading and just shook his head. Don gave him an inquisitive look, but was dragged away from the table by Darcy. "Come on, come on, move that big butt of yours."

"My bottom is not that big." Don protested. Darcy just laughed at him and sat down on the couch, giving him a device with a lot of buttons on it. She turned on the TV. "Let's play Smash Bros." She said.

"Alright." Don replied. He had no idea what that was, but he would trust Darcy for now. The game consisted of the two of them directing characters to fight one another until the characters were unable to fight any longer. It was quite an enjoyable pursuit.

"It would be even better if we were actually fighting." Don said.

"Why do you say that?" Darcy asked. "Were you a wrestler or something?"

"I do not know." Don said, frowning as the memories refused to surface.

"It's okay." Darcy said, patting him on the arm. "Ooh, best get Jane, it's lunch time and she won't eat unless we make her."

"Shall I go ask her to join us?" Don asked.

"yeah, but you may have to like drag her away." Darcy said. Don shrugged and walked to where Jane was working in a mess of scattered paper and equipment.

"Jane?" He asked.

"Just a minute." Jane muttered. Don placed a hand on her shoulder and she slowly looked up at him, blinking in befuddlement.

"I wish to know more about your work, but you cannot work and explain at the same time." He said, giving her a pleading look. "Please, join us for lunch."

"Uh, okay, I-I guess I can take a break, for a little bit." Jane said, scrambling out of her chair. Don offered his arm to her, and she slid her hand into the crook of his arm, blushing slightly.

"Wow, you got her out of there in record time!" Darcy said with a grin, pulling on her shoes. "Usually I have to start playing J-Pop to get her out."

"Darcy…" Jane said, sounding fondly exasperated. "Where are we going?"

"To the diner, of course, you need some time in the open air, get some sunshine." Darcy replied. She skipped out the door, not waiting for them to follow. Jane sighed and pulled on a pair of shiny red boots.

"We're going to need to get you some new clothes." She murmured to Don, who pulled on his own boots.

"Aye, the sensation of wearing clothing one has slept in is not pleasant." He agreed. The diner was nice, and the food was plentiful. Don decided he liked the drink that was called coffee. He nearly went to smash his cup on the floor, but then paused, wondering why he was going to do that. Jane babbled happily to him about her work, and he smiled, happy that he was able to make her so happy.

All too soon Jane insisted on going back to her work. Don offered to accompany her and she quickly agreed, blushing once more. The two of them walked quietly back. Don watched Jane's face as she continued to talk about the work she so loved, and was surprised when she stopped dead, looking ahead of them.

"Oh, hell no." She growled, staring at the black vehicles sitting outside her home.


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

Jane stalked towards the black vehicles, and the man standing outside her home, her lab, feeling livid. "I already told you, I don't want you here!" She snarled at Agent Coulson. "Are you going to try to steal my research again?"

"Boss, don't you know it's impolite to steal from a lady?" The speaker, a stocky man with short dirty blonde hair and laughing blue eyes, grinned at her. She scowled at him. "Got a live one here, Coulson."

"Don't I know it." Agent Coulson said, his voice level and calm. "Doctor Foster, you wouldn't happen to know anything about a hammer appearing in the desert, would you?"

"Hammer?" Don said behind her. Jane turned and looked at him. He had a faraway look in his eyes. After a moment he shook himself and frowned slightly. "What hammer?"

"That's what we wanna know." The other man said.

"Clint…Agent Barton." Agent Coulson sighed.

"Oh come on, you're going to tell her anyways, may as well get it over with." Agent Barton said. "Call me Clint." He said, with a wink in Darcy's direction. Darcy snorted at him derisively, but did give him a flirty little wave.

"You can't just be here to tell me about a hammer." Jane said, feeling exasperated. The last time she'd seen this man he'd been trying to tell her that her research was dangerous and needed to be kept under lock and key. She'd yelled at him and threatened to call the police, which hadn't impressed him one bit. Erik finally took the man aside to talk to him. Whatever Erik said made him leave, but apparently that wasn't the end of it.

"Why don't we go inside?" Agent Coulson suggested. His eyes rested briefly on Don, considering him. Jane inexplicably felt protective of Don, even though Don was about twice her size and way stronger.

"Fine, but if I see anyone getting near my equipment or notes, I will stab them with a fork!" Jane snarled. Agent Barton snickered and gave her a double thumbs up, ambling inside at Agent Coulson's side.

Jane sat down on the threadbare couch they'd rescued from the side of the road and Don sat down beside her, scowling fiercely at Agent Coulson. "So, what's the dealio with this hammer?" Darcy asked. "Is it, like, doing tricks or something?"

"It can't be moved." Agent Barton said bluntly. "Not by anyone pulling on it, not by attaching a truck to it, not by trying to blow it up, the damned thing is stuck in the ground like some kind of weird Arthurian legend come to life." He laughed. "It's pretty damned funny, actually."

"Barton…" Agent Coulson sighed, but Jane thought she saw an amused smile flicker across his face. It was really weird, to be honest, she'd always thought of Coulson as some kind of robot. He was always so bland and polite, it was downright unnatural.

"What? I'm just telling them how it is." Agent Barton said, all wide eyed innocence. "When something has seasoned agents tripping over themselves in excitement or scratching their heads in bewilderment, then it is very, very weird and I wanna talk to someone about it."

"A hammer that cannot be moved…" Don mused, getting that distant expression again. Coulson looked at him sharply.

"And who, may I ask are you?" He asked pleasantly.

"I am Don, at least, that is what we are calling me." Don answered before Jane could stop him. She sighed and shook his head; she'd hoped they'd be able to get through this without the Men in Black taking Don away to make him into a lab rat.

"And what do you mean by that?" Coulson asked.

"I cannot remember who I am or where I am from." Don answered with a shrug of his massive shoulders. "The Lady Jane found me in the desert, investigating her Einstein-Rosen Bridge. She says I appeared with it."

"That's our best hypothesis, but it could be a coincidence that he was right in the middle of it." Jane said quickly. Coulson gave her a look that reminded her of her father when he knew she was lying to him.

"Something seems to be jogged in your head when we talk about that hammer." Agent Barton commented. "Maybe we oughta let him have a go at it, sir."

"I'll consider it." Coulson said blandly. "The hammer is not what I wanted to talk to you about however, Doctor Foster." With that he handed her a sheaf of papers that had been printed out from a computer. Jane took them with a frown and sat back to read. Eventually she looked up again.

"Where are you getting these readings?" She demanded. They were similar to her readings from last night, but not quite, there was something strange about them, new variables she had never seen in her equations or observations.

"Come work for us, then I can tell you." Coulson replied with a polite smile. Jane frowned and bit her lip, staring at the data.

"Come on Coulson, quit playing around." Agent Barton said. "I don't care if you bet Fury you could get her to come without telling her what she was getting into, this is seriously cutting into my me time."

"Late for your manicure?" Coulson asked blandly.

"I'll have you know it's a mani-pedi." Agent Barton said, sniffing distainfully.

"Ah, my apologies. And how did you know about our bet?" Coulson asked with interest.

"Air ducts." Agent Barton said simply.

"Alright Doctor Foster, I'm going to give you the full information package, but you cannot show them to anyone else unless they've signed a confidentiality agreement." Coulson said, handing her a StarkPad.

She took it carefully, keeping a suspicious eye on Coulson, but the data quickly drew her in, making her blind to anything else. The Tesseract, the device was called. Currently being worked on as an unlimited source of energy, but they'd noticed, because they were actually able to steal some of her work apparently, that the readings they were getting from it were similar to her equations.

"You want me to work on this?" She asked Coulson. "You don't want to steal my research?"

"No, Doctor Foster. And the only reason we wanted your research under wraps-"

"Blahblah, national security, blahblah, supervillains." Darcy said, interrupting Coulson. "That was the basic gist, right? I mean I wasn't here, but Jane went on a truly EPIC rant about you guys the one day out of nowhere."

"Why haven't you come to me sooner, some of these readings are months old." Jane said.

"Director Fury was of the opinion that we should allow you to simmer down before approaching you again." Coulson said carefully. Agent Barton snickered and Coulson shot him a withering look. Jane decided Agent Barton wasn't too bad, for a jack-booted thug.

"What about my research here?" Jane demanded. "I witnessed an event myself, what if it happens again?"

"We're setting up an observation station around the hammer, it will be manned." Coulson explained. "I can have those stationed there take readings for you and have them forwarded to you."

"How do I know you won't tamper with them?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"Because we like our balls where they are, thank you." Agent Barton replied. "God only knows I know how scary ladies can be, even if they aren't trained assassins."

"Barton…." Coulson sighed yet again, rubbing at his temples.

"Hey, you brought me here, knowing full well what I'm like." Barton said with a cheery smile.

"I can dream about you finally showing some respect, can't I?" Coulson muttered.

"Hey, who would you rather be dealing with, Stark, or me?" Barton asked.

"At least Stark reacts to my threats to taze him." Coulson replied.

"We're getting a bit off topic, aren't we?" Jane said, interrupting their banter. It was obvious the two men worked together a lot.

"Yes, we are." Coulson said, turning his attention back to her. "Fury is offering a fair salary for this work, as well as funding for your research, both during your time working for us, and after, if it comes to that. We have a contract for you." He added, producing the paperwork.

"Gimme!" Darcy said, snatching it. "What?" She said at Jane's incredulous look. "Poli Sci, remember? I know a thing or two about contracts." She read it over quickly and handed it to Jane. "Pretty good, they're not going to be selling you into slavery anyways."

"If I do this, they're all coming with me." Jane said sternly. Coulson looked like he was going to argue. "Erik can help me with the research, Darcy needs to be around to drag me away from work when I need it, and I am not leaving Don alone, that's not fair when he has no idea who he is."

"I can see I won't be able to deter you." Coulson said. "I'll need confidentiality agreements from all of you, but it can be done."

"I guess I have to say yes then." Jane said, trying not to feel like she was selling her soul to the devil.


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

Clint Barton prided himself on noticing things that other people didn't. It was a useful skill when he was spying, or undercover, or even right now, when he was trying to figure out this Don person. Foster, Lewis and Selvig he had figured out pretty quickly, but this Don character… Maybe it was because the man didn't know himself, but it was way too hard to get a read on him.

Clint went through what he was sure about the man. He was a warrior, that much was obvious. It was in the way he stood, and his protective attitude towards Doctor Foster. He also seemed like he was some noble rich person, just by the way he talked. He sounded like someone out of a Shakespeare play, but it didn't seem to be put on, which was really weird.

The other really weird thing was the hammer. Every time the hammer was brought up in conversation, Don would go all stiff and far-eyed. It made Clint's skin prickle, and he knew without a doubt that Don was connected to their mystic hammer. He was hoping to see something amazing happen when he touched it.

His cell phone going off drew him out of his thoughts and he looked at the new text message, smiling. "She hasn't killed him yet, has she?" Coulson asked.

"Not yet." Clint replied. "I think she likes him, in some strange way, like a dumbass dog, or something."

"Hmph, so long as she doesn't kill him." Coulson replied. "Is she mad at me for leaving her behind?"

"Only a little." Clint replied with a grin. "She's only threatened to stab you in the neck with a pen so far."

"Ah, so only mildly annoyed." Coulson said with a nod of his head. "Strangely I almost wish I was there."

"Aww, you hate me." Clint said, pouting. Coulson gave him a vaguely amused look. "Doctor Foster make you that nervous?"

"No, magic makes me that nervous." Coulson said. "People are predictable, magic hammers and glowing blue boxes are not, and I don't like it." He rubbed his face tiredly. "What's your thoughts on all this, Hawkeye?"

"Don's definitely connected to the hammer somehow." Clint said. "I figure we get those two together, something spectacular is going to happen."

As he said that a growling roll of thunder sounded above them. Coulson looked outside, brow furrowed. Dark clouds were gathering, centering above the base they SHIELD was building around the hammer. Clint watched the clouds carefully, blinking as rain began to pelt down on their vehicles.

"I think you may be right about that, Clint." The fact that Coulson was using his first name while in professional mode told Clint how unsettled his handler was. Clint watched the rain fall down, wondering what the hell they were getting themselves into.

He was still pondering that question, and wishing he had his bow, when they drove up to the base, in the middle of a torrential thunderstorm. He and Tasha had come across a few magical items on their missions, and usually they meant trouble, so he wasn't liking having to be so close to one right now. Although, he really wanted to see what happened with Don, so he'd suck it up and watch.

"So, has everyone tried to move this hammer?" Darcy Lewis yelled over the rain as they ran for cover.

"Everyone here, yup." Clint yelled back, quickly running through the opening of the base. They didn't have doors yet, which was kind of funny. "We've also tried digging it out of the ground, but the machinery all shorts out when we try."

"Damn, if I'd known I was gonna get to see magic shit, I woulda been more enthusiastic about this internship." Darcy said with a bright grin.

"How'd a Poli. Sci. major wind up with an astrophysicist anyways?" Clint asked.

"I applied for a bunch of internships, mostly for funzies. Figured an actual science major would get that one, but it turns out Jane's a bit of a black sheep in the science world." Darcy said with a shrug. "It ain't bad, been kinda fun actually, especially since Don showed up. Hey, you don't think Jane's crazy too, do you?"

"Well, SHIELD did consider her research serious enough to try and take it away, so no, don't think she's crazy, at least not that kind of crazy." Clint answered. Darcy laughed brightly.

"Oh yeah, run into a storm crazy, that's for sure." She agreed.

"Sounds like SHIELD crazy to me." Clint said. "What about you?"

"Oh, I took an intern position with a crazy astrophysicist, what do you think?" Darcy asked. Clint grinned at her, he liked this one. He wondered if Tasha would let him keep her. Then again, Doctor Foster seemed attached to her, and he didn't want to get into a fight with the diminutive woman. The tiny ones were always the most dangerous, after all. Tasha taught him that.

"This way please." Coulson said blandly, leading the way to the hammer. Most people didn't realize the mild-mannered, kind of robotic act was just a way of keeping people from considering Coulson a threat. There was a reason Fury trusted him so much, after all.

"My skin is prickling, is that normal?" Don asked in a grave voice.

"No one's complained about that before." Clint replied. "Come on big man, let's see what this does."

The hammer was in the middle of the half-constructed compound, out in the open because they weren't sure they wanted it inside. Don stepped up to the hammer and Clint's heartbeat raced in anticipation. Don's hand closed around the handle and tugged.

The hammer stayed where it was. Frowning, Don tried again, muscles straining as he tried to pull the hammer from the ground. But, like every other time it refused to budge. Clint sighed in disappointment, but watched with interest as Don fell to his knees in front of the hammer, head bowed low. Maybe there was something after all.

%&%&%&%

Jane sat beside Don in the helicopter, trying to fight down her sense of vertigo. She, apparently, wasn't fond of helicopters, despite being able to stomach airplane rides no problem. She looked up at Don, worried. Don had been silent since he'd failed to pull the hammer from the ground, staring ahead of him with a sad expression on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jane asked, getting tired of the silence. He looked down at her and smiled wanly.

"I do not know." He said softly. "I feel as though I have lost something terribly precious to me, and I feel as if I have failed greatly at something."

Jane felt her heart go out to him and gently gripped his hand in hers. "We'll figure it out, don't worry." She said gently. "Something about that hammer calls to you, and I'm going to figure out why."

Don smiled down at her, sky blue eyes softening as he looked down at their hands. Jane blushed and would have pulled her hand away, but his large fingers curled over her hand, and brought it up to his face. He lightly kissed the back of her hand, staring into her eyes.

"You are wise Lady Jane, and you are right." He said to her. "If there is anyone in this realm that can solve this riddle, it is you. I will be content to be by your side until then."

"Um, well, okay." Jane said, flustered.

"Oooh, Don and Jane, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S…" Darcy cackled as Jane threw a pen at her head. Jane wanted to kick her, but she was too far away. "Hey, no abusing the intern!" Darcy said, sticking her tongue out at Jane.

"I thought that was all interns were good for?" Agent Barton asked from his pilot's seat. "You mean I been doing it wrong this whole time?" Darcy cackled again, and Jane buried her face in her hands, groaning. She loved Darcy, she really did, but she was often like the little sister she never wanted; just plain annoying.

It didn't take them long to get to the base where the Tesseract was, and Jane could feel excitement thrumming through her. Who knew what she could learn from the Tesseract, who knew what it could do, what she could do with it? It was even worth having to deal with creepy men in black and jack-booted thugs, though Agent Barton didn't seem a bad sort.

The base was bigger, and more complete, than the structure being erected around the hammer. On the surface it didn't look like much, just a white building with windows, out in the middle of the desert. Agent Barton quietly told her that all the interesting stuff happened in the basements though. She then asked if that had to do with radioactivity shielding, and was surprised when he nodded his head. A smart jack-booted thug, had she fallen down a rabbit hole?

First she actually gets to see an Einstein-Rosen event right up close, and then a man with no memory stumbles out of it. Then she's given the opportunity to work on something even more exciting than what she was. And then she finds out there's a magic hammer that no one can lift, and it seems like Don has something to do with it. She was starting to wonder if maybe she was hallucinating the last few days.

She was rudely shoved out of her thoughts by an angry shout. She looked up and watched in helpless horror as Don took a swing at a very tall, muscular, blue-skinned woman.


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Don's fist smashed into the blue monster's face. She staggered back a step, surprised, blackish blood dripping from his nose. Jane's exclamation of horror cut through the rage in his mind and he stepped back, confused about why he'd felt the need to punch the tall blue woman. Confusion quickly turned to horror as he realized he'd attacked someone unprovoked.

"I… forgive me." He said contritely. "I don't know why I did that."

"Well, you're not the first to take a swing at me, but most people have to be around me for a little bit before they feel the need to." The blue woman said, shrugging her shoulders. She had a strange accent full of rolling consonants and rounded vowels. Don wasn't quite sure about her being a woman, he realized, there was something about her that spoke of being male, so he was confused.

Jane had a hold of Don's arm now, looking worried. "It is alright Jane, I will not attack her."

"Hir." The woman corrected him gently.

"I… beg your pardon?" Don asked.

"I am not a woman, I am both male and female, so I do not use male or female pronouns, but my own, which are shi and hir." The blue being said patiently.

"So, you have a dick?" Darcy asked. Jane looked horrified, but the blue being threw back hir head and laughed deeply.

"You are a wee spitfire, aren't you?" Shi commented. "Agent Emilia Smith, call me Emmy." Shi said with an easy grin, holding out hir hand. Don, still wary but not knowing why, took the hand and shook it, feeling the casual strength in Emmy's fingers. Shi winked one bright red eye at him, grinning widely. Shi had a chipped tooth and a gap between hir two front teeth, giving hir a disarming sort of charm.

"You have so much hair, it is gorgeous." Darcy commented. Emmy did have a lot of hair. It was black as night and rambunctiously curl, spilling down over hir shoulders and down hir back wildly.

"It's a wee bit of a pain sometimes, but I still like it, most days." Emmy said with a shrug. "Now then, who may I ask are you all?"

"Um, I'm Jane Foster, these are my assistants Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig, and my friend Don." Jane introduced. Emmy tilted hir head at Don, considering him while wiping hir face clean of blood with one black-nailed hand.

"No last name?" Emmy asked.

"Nay, I cannot remember who I am." Don said, shrugging his shoulders. He was starting to get used to the fact that he could not remember anything.

"Well that's interesting." A new voice said. Don stared at the new being that sidled around Emmy to stare at him with slit-pupil gold eyes.

"Wow, does anyone else see the leopard lady? I'm not going insane?" Darcy asked.

"You are not insane." The 'leopard-lady' said, her black furred muzzle curling to reveal pearly white fangs.

She looked as though someone had taken a great cat and made it so it could stand on hind legs. At first glance Don thought her fur was all black, but as she moved he could see the even darker spotted pattern on her body. She was smaller than Emmy by at least a foot and a half, stocky, but graceful. She had black hair, which was coiled into thick ropes.

"Cool strings, what are they for?" Darcy asked, reaching out for the multicoloured strings on the creature's wrists that flickered with power. Don closed his hand around her wrist, stopping her.

"It would not be wise to touch raw power." He said softly. She looked up at him in confusion.

"Don, they're strings." Jane said. "Just brightly coloured strings."

"He sees beyond the illusion." The cat said with interest. "Emmy, you're bleeding again. What happened?"

"Ach, just a wee misunderstanding, Tess." Emmy said. Tess folded her arms across her chest, paw-like hands clenching just enough in her green blouse to show the tips of her sharp claws. "Honest, I'm fine, lovely." Emmy said, taking Tess' face in hir hands and planting a soft kiss to her nose pad. Tess grumbled but seemed to accept that.

"It was my fault." Don said, deciding it was best to come clean. "I do not know why I reacted the way I did, but the sight of Emmy brought forth rage in me and I punched her."

"You're certain you do not know him?" Tess asked lightly.

"No, not that I can think of." Emmy said. "Perhaps he's been magicked? You could tell."

"I could." Tess agreed.

"Wait, you do magic?" Darcy asked, sounding excited.

"Of course she does, only a skilled sorceress could manipulate raw power in the way that she has." Don said. He frowned after. "I do not know why I know that."

"Perhaps it is magic that is the cause of your memory loss." Tess said thoughtfully, staring up at him.

"Are you able to try to determine that, Tess?" Agent Coulson asked.

"Of course, dad." Tess replied.

"Dad?" Darcy squeaked out. "You mean Mr. Robo-Agent has a kid? How the hell did you come from him?"

Tess smiled wryly. "I didn't always look like this." She said mildly. "I was eleven and wanted 'cat-like' reflexes, found a spell in my great-great grandmother's spellbooks I thought would do it, and wound up like this."

"Cool, and no offense about the Robo-Agent thing." Darcy said.

"None taken. My father and I are both well-aware of how he comes across." Tess said. She leaned in to Darcy. "Get him talking about Captain America sometime, he's a total fanboy."

"If we are done ruining my reputation…." Agent Coulson said, sounding mildly amused.

"Yes, yes." Tess said, waving a paw at him. Emmy snorted and gave Don a wink. He decided he liked hir, and hoped that shi would overlook his earlier rudeness and become companions with him. "I need your hand." Tess said, holding out her own to him, claws retracted.

"Of course." Don put his hand in hers and waited. Tess seemed to settle into a blank state, and her eyes began to glow pale gold. After a moment though she yelped and took her hand away from his, rubbing at her watering eyes.

"Tess? Kitten? You're not hurt, are you?" Emmy asked worriedly.

"No, no, just.. wow." Tess said, shaking her head. "Damned near was blinded by your aura."

"My… aura?" Don asked.

"All living things have power in them." Tess explained. "Some are able to tap into this power, this life force, to wield it as magic, as I do. For those that have the ability to see magic, life force appears as auras around living things. The brighter the aura, the more natural power a living being has."

"So what does it mean, that his is blinding?" Coulson asked.

"I am not certain." Tess said, looking troubled. "Perhaps you were a mage?"

"Nay, I feel that I was a warrior, and magic…" Don paused and frowned. "For some reason I want to say that magic has no place on the battlefield, but I do not know why I would think that."

"From a warrior culture then, one that feels that magic is cheating." Emmy said. "I've met warriors like that, from time to time. Not for a few centuries though."

"Centuries?" Jane repeated. For some reason Don wasn't surprised by Emmy's admission.

"I'm a half-giant, a Jotun. Full-blooded Jotun live around five thousand years or so." Emmy shrugged. "I'm only 1700 years old at this point."

"Only?" Darcy repeated. "Dude, I wanna know all your stories, because you've probably seen some cool things."

"Of course." Emmy said. "I can even tell you stories about Coulson when he was a wee trainee." Shi then laughed at Coulson's expression.

"I take it you cannot undo this amnesia?" Coulson asked when Emmy stopped laughing.

"Unfortunately not." Tess said. "I cannot even tell if there are spells on him. I am sorry."

"It is of little consequence." Don replied. Jane slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently, reassuringly.

"You probably want to see the Tesseract now, we'll let you get to it." Tess said, hooking her arm around Emmy's waist.

"Come and see me in the gym later, I want to see how you do in a sparring session with me." Emmy said to Don as Tess led hir out.

"Dude, I'm kind of starting to like SHIELD." Darcy said, sounding mildly disgusted and amused.


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Loki stared down at Odin's sleeping form, silently contemplating. How much of what Odin had told him was lies? It was true Loki was destined to be a king, but king to a race of monsters. Oh how everything made so much sense now.

"Your father will be well, my son." Frigga said, coming up behind him.

"Maybe, although, he's not really my father, is he?" Loki said, turning to her. She sighed, suddenly looking tired and older than his years.

"I told Odin to tell you before now." She said softly. "We didn't want you growing up thinking you were different though."

"I think you failed at that." Loki said, gesturing. A shadowy snake followed his gesture, conjured by magic. "I've always been different."

"And we have loved you no less for it." Frigga said firmly. She cupped his face gently. "You are as much my son as Thor is."

"But I never could have ruled, could I?" Loki said bitterly. "There was never a chance for me."

"I believe Odin hoped you would be a bridge between our people and the Jotun." Frigga said. "A chance to form an alliance with a people who were great before the war."

"A bridge? While teaching me that such creatures were monsters?" Loki scoffed.

"I never said everything your father does is wise." Frigga replied, shaking her head.

"He is not my father, remember?" Loki said. Frigga gave him a sad look.

"Then am I not your mother?" She asked. Loki opened and then closed his mouth, feeling trapped. Frigga had taught him magic, had been the parent that he had gone to when he had problems. Could he really turn his back on her as he had Odin?

"Thor is lost to us." He said instead, changing the subject. "Heimdall cannot find him."

"So I have heard." Frigga sighed. "I do not know if this is my husband's doing, or if it is more sinister, but… I worry."

"As do I." Loki said, stifling his jealously. One of her sons was missing, of course she worried.

"I suppose we will not know until he wakes." Frigga said. "It will be well, you will be a fine king until Odin wakes up. Perhaps, if you are truly concerned about his regard for you, you could use the time to do something that will gain his pride."

"Oh, I plan to, mother, I do." Loki said with a tight smile.

%&%&%&%

Sif was no Seer, but she had a warrior's intuition. Loki was up to something, and she had the exact same prickling sensation that had precluded his prank of cutting her hair. She wasn't sure if he'd meant it to come back in after, but that was beside the point. Loki had something planned; and with his mood lately, she wasn't sure it was as innocent as cutting someone's hair.

"Do you think he has something to do with Thor's disappearance?" Fandral asked.

"Nay, Loki may be a trickster, but he is not so malicious as to worry all of Asgard about Thor." Volstagg said, munching on a piece of bread.

"I am not certain you are right." Sif said. "Have you not noticed how odd he has been of late?"

"He is acting oddly, for Loki." Hogun agreed quietly.

"I don't think it has to do with Thor." Sif said. "I just… something is not right about Loki right now."

"What can we do?" Volstagg asked. "He is our king until Odin awakens. If Thor were here, it would be him, but he is not and we must obey Loki."

"Perhaps our efforts are better spent trying to find Thor." Fandral suggested.

"How?" Sif asked. "Heimdall cannot find him."

"Mjolnir." Hogun said thoughtfully. Sif turned to look at him. "Perhaps Heimdall cannot find Thor, but perhaps Mjolnir is in his sight."

"Ah, and where Mjolnir is, Thor will be." Fandral said.

"Or at least it gives us a place to start looking for him." Sif said.

"Shall we go see the Gatekeeper then?" Volstagg asked.

"Yes, I tire of this waiting and worrying." Sif said. "Come my friends, we shall go see my brother, and see if he can aid us."

The four of them mounted up on horses and headed out for the Bifrost. The prickling sensation along Sif's spine got worse the closer they got.

"Giants!" Came Fandral's cry, just as Sif had to duck to avoid a missile of ice aimed at her head. Her brother was encased in ice himself, guarded by two monstrous Jotun. Sif spurred her horse on, lifting her blade to engage in battle.

The battle was short, but vicious, and ended with Heimdall breaking free of his icy prison and smacked one of the frost giants off the side of the Bifrost. "Well done Gatekeeper!" Fandral congratulated. Heimdall fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Heimdall, brother, what has happened?" Sif asked.

"Loki brought them." Heimdall said between gasps. "For what I do not know."

Sif felt herself go cold inside. "We must stop him. Brother, we must get you to a healer."

"I must protect the Bifrost." Heimdall said.

"You cannot protect anything when you cannot even stand." Sif snapped at him, hauling him towards her horse. "Hogun, stay here and guard the Bifrost."

"Aye, Sif." Hogun said.

Sif got Heimdall up on her horse and the two of them with Fandral and Volstagg rode for the palace. "Take your brother to the healers, we will confront Loki." Volstagg said. Sif scowled at him. "We will leave a piece for you, my lady."

"You had better." She told him, hauling her brother to his feet and heading for the healers while Fandral and Volstagg took off running. It seemed like almost as soon as she got Heimdall settled with the healers, with a stern warning not to try getting up before they told him he was allowed that Volstagg and Fandral were staggering back in.

"He is heading for the Bifrost." Volstagg wheezed. "I think he means to use it to destroy Jotunheim."

"Let him." Fandral gasped. "Why should we save them?"

"You do not think they have more than warriors there?" Volstagg demanded. "Children, women, elderly? Do they deserve death? Even if you will not go, I am."

"Come Fandral, Odin stopped Laufey from starting another war for a reason." Sif said. "Odin is our king, we would do well to follow his example."

"Aye." Volstagg said. "Come, I fear for Hogun's safety."

The Bifrost was spinning itself into oblivion by the time they got back out to it. Loki mocked them as they fought, saying there was nothing that could be done to stop the Bifrost. "Well, that's not entirely true." Volstagg said, pulling a small device from his beard and throwing it down on the Bifrost. Sif, recognising it, grabbing Fandral, while Volstagg grabbed the unconscious Hogun and ran away from the device.

It exploded, knocking the four of them to the ground. Sif looked up and saw Loki flying through the air above her head, over the edge of the Bifrost, still clutching Gungnir. Suddenly Odin was there, catching the end of the spear, holding Loki in place. Loki yelled something that Sif couldn't make out and Odin replied quietly. Then, to her horror, Loki let go of the staff, falling into the void. Both sons of Odin, now lost.


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

Don woke up in the middle of the night, howling in grief. He sat up in the narrow bed he'd been given, panting harshly. He could not even remember the dream that had woken him, but the unfathomable sorrow that it had inspired had not left him, and he doubted he would get back to sleep with his heart racing as hard as it was.

He found his boots and trudged out of his room, entertaining the thought of going to find Jane, but he decided she needed her sleep and not to comfort him. She'd already done so much for him and he did not wish to wear out her hospitality. So instead he chose to walk the underground tunnels of the base they were staying in.

Many doors were locked to him, but there were many more for him to explore, including rooms that were obviously meant for relaxing, as well as large rooms for food consumption among comrades. Further rooms had pieces of equipment that Don did not recognise, but the rooms smelled like sweat, so he guessed they were for exercising.

He poked his head into another room and found Emmy, barely dressed, punching a large bag dangling from the ceiling. "You cannot sleep?" He asked politely. Shi stopped what shi was doing and looked at him, smiling wryly.

"Aye." Shi agreed. "My dreams have not been kind to me of late. And you?"

"I woke screaming, but cannot remember why." Don explained.

"That memory loss of yours must be a pain." Emmy commented, stretching. Shi had enough clothes on to cover hir breasts and hir privates but no more. Don was more interested in the scars that marred almost all hir visible body. Shi was most certainly a warrior.

"I am getting used to it." Don answered. "The most difficult part is when something triggers a feeling inside me and I can feel the memories trying to surface, but they will not come."

"Don't worry lad, it will be well." Emmy said, walking over and patting his shoulder. "Come on, let's have that sparring session."

"Ah, yes, I am sorry I did not seek you out earlier, Jane was most excited, and it took all our efforts to get her to go to sleep." Don said.

"She's a spitfire she is." Emmy said with a grin.

"Yes, she is." Don said with a smile.

"Ah, love." Emmy chuckled.

"It's only been a few days since we have met." Don protested. "But, she has become very important to me."

"Sometimes it's like that. You find someone who is like the other half of your soul and you know it immediately." Emmy said. "It was like that with my husband, Matteo."

"You were married?" Don asked.

"Twice, actually. The downfall of being so long lived." Emmy sighed.

"My apologies. Are you and Tess…?" Don asked.

"We are together, whether marriage is in our future is yet to be seen." Emmy said. Shi clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come, let us spar."

"Yes!" Don said eagerly. Emmy led him over to a set of mats on the floor and made him take off his shoes.

"Now, don't be afraid to give all you have, I'm hard to hurt." Emmy said, settling into a fighting stance. Don feinted at hir left and then tried a kick at hir side and the fight was on.

Emmy moved, just very slightly, to avoid Don's kick. The movement of Don's leg carried him forward but he shifted his body, throwing his balance back into alignment and stamped down, twisting to try and punch hir in the head. Shi was already moving though, dodging quickly, a smile plastered across hir face.

Shi threw a punch at him, faster than Don could dodge and he was hit in the chest. The blow made him stagger back, but he recovered quickly to block hir next kick with his hand. He actually managed to grab hold of her foot and twisted it. Shi moved with the motion, flipping over. Shi landed on hir back and kicked upwards. Don jumped it and tried to kick out at hir, but shi had already rolled away, and was up on hir feet again.

Another blow caught Don in the arm as he was too slow to dodge hir fist. While he didn't know how he could tell, he could see the split second hesitation when shi had hit him. Shi was holding back. As he thought that Emmy managed to take him by surprise, sweeping out her leg and catching Don's ankles and knocking him over. Quicker than Don thought possible shi was on him, a cool hand pressed to his throat, still smiling

"You are a worthy opponent." Shi said, helping him up. "I haven't had such a challenging fight for a long time."

"Truly?" Don asked. "But you were holding back?"

"I was holding back because if I punched you with my full strength I could shatter bones." Emmy explained.

"Oh, I can see why that would be a problem then." Don said.

"You've fought before, many times." Emmy said.

"I got that sense too." Don said. "My body remembers if my mind does not."

"That can be the case." Emmy agreed. "I think you'd make a good SHIELD agent."

"As I understand it SHIELD is not just about being a warrior, and I do not know what else I am but a warrior." Don said.

"No, but we often see fighting, and it's an advantage to have someone who knows how to fight with and without weapons." Emmy said. "As for the rest… you'd need to be able to play a role if need be. You need to be able to sneak and to spy. Sometimes we kill, and sometimes we kill without being seen."

Don frowned slightly. "That does not sound honourable." He said.

"Perhaps not to you, but if it keeps innocents alive and unharmed, would you do it?" Emmy asked.

"Yes." Don said. "Is there much harm being done in this world?"

"You have no idea laddie." Emmy sighed tiredly. "That's why organizations like SHIELD exist, to try to make the world a little safer."

"Tis a noble endeavour." Don said. "How would I become a part of such a thing?"

"Big decision laddie, you sure?" Emmy asked.

"I do not know who I am, but I know I am a protector, and if SHIELD is protector of this world, then that is where I should be." Don explained.

"Well, I can't argue with that logic." Emmy said. "You'll have to go through training, of course, but I think that can be done here, so you're not having to leave your lady-love."

"I do not know if I could leave Jane." Don said softly. "She has done so much for me, and I wish to know more about her."

"My advice to you about that would be to take it slow, don't try to get ahead of yourself." Emmy said.

"I'm not certain what you mean." Don said with a frown.

"You don't know if it's love yet, or just fascination." Emmy said, sitting down on the mat and stretching hir legs out in front of hir. "Don't rush into things, get to know her, take her out on dates."

"A date?" Don asked.

"Take her out to dinner, go see a movie or something." Emmy said. "Go somewhere where just the two of you can talk and get to know each other. I know you don't know anything about yourself, but you two can figure that out together if you try. It's obvious you two feel something for each other. Best to try and nurture that bond if you can."

"Aye, that would be good." Don said with a nod. "Thank you, for the spar, and I will think on joining SHIELD."


	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

Jane circled around the platform that held the Tesseract, inspecting it. "What are its baseline emissions like?" She asked. "What are they like visually, I mean."

"Mostly it just looks like what you see here, all blue and glowey." Agent Barton replied. "The night of your pretty light show though it was acting up, throwing out sparks and what looked like blue ectoplasm, like in Ghostbusters."

"Not very scientific, but the description will do." Jane said, moving to the computers to look at the output data. "It would be nice if we could get Bruce Banner here, gamma radiation isn't one of my strong points."

"Haven't been able to track him down, not that we've looked too hard." Agent Barton said. "Drawing attention to him tends to have destructive results, if you know what I mean."

"Not sure I do." Jane said.

"Well, since you're SHIELD we can tell you that Doctor Banner turns into the Hulk." Agent Barton said.

"Wicked." Darcy said, spinning around in a chair. "Bit of a bummer for him though."

"Well, he's on the run from pretty much every government in the world." Agent Barton said. "I'd say that's a pretty big bummer. I mean I've had one government after me, that's bad enough."

"We totally need to go have drinks sometime and you need to tell me some superspy stories." Darcy said.

"You want good stories you need to talk to Emmy." Agent Barton said with a laugh. "Shi's been around almost since SHIELD was started."

"Shi is a skilled fighter." Don said. "I have bruises from our sparring last night."

"Why were you up in the middle of the night anyways?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, usually it's Jane keeping odd hours." Darcy commented.

"I was awoken in great sorrow, though I do not know why I was filled with such grief." Don explained. "It is nothing, and I am fine."

"You're sure." Jane asked worriedly.

"The sparring helped. Evidently Emmy has many sleepless nights as well." Don said. "I enjoy hir company."

"Made an impression on hir too, heard hir discussing with Tess the possibility of adding someone new to their team." Agent Barton said.

"You want to work for SHIELD?" Jane asked, frowning slightly. She wasn't sure she liked the idea and wondered if SHIELD was taking advantage of his lack of memory to recruit him.

"I wish to stay close to you, and if I am with SHIELD, it would be easier for me to do so." Don explained. "What else can I do? I have no identity, no skills, except it seems fighting, and I do not wish to simply do nothing. Do you not wish me to join SHIELD?" He asked worriedly.

He'd probably not do it if she asked him, but then she would be the one manipulating him, wouldn't she? As protective as she felt about Don, she didn't want to stop him from doing the things he liked. He had a point too, how long would SHIELD let him hang around if he wasn't useful. Emmy and Tess seemed like good people, for spies anyways.

"I just want to make sure you're doing what you want, and not what other people think you should be doing." She answered carefully. "If you really want to become a SHIELD agent, then that's what you should do. You should take the time to really think about it though."

"And I shall." Don assured her, taking her hand. What was with her that she was so hung up on this guy after so few days? God only knows who he was before, he could have been a serial killer for Christ's sake! But she felt so safe with him and so comfortable, and he never rolled his eyes at her or sighed impatiently when she went on one of her rants.

"Worth abandoning your research?" Agent Coulson asked, walking up with his daughter.

"We'll see." Jane said. "You deal with magic, yes?" She asked Tess.

"I do, and that was one of the first things we did, was see if it was a magical artefact." Tess said in reply.

"What were your findings?" Jane asked her.

"It is not a magical artefact in the same manner as a magic wand." Tess said. "It does though have life force, as though it is in fact alive. It has a conscious of sorts. Not like you or me, but it is in fact, somewhat sentient."

"Interesting." Jane said. "I wonder, if I could figure out the energy that powers this, then maybe I could create something else that emulates the effect."

"What effect?" Don asked.

"Well, if my calculations are correct, this Tesseract could hold the key to instantaneous travel." Jane said.

"You mean like teleportation?" Darcy asked. "'Cause I used to know a guy who could do that. He was also blue and furry, come to think of it."

"You met Mr. Wagner?" Agent Coulson asked.

"His name was Kurt, I think." Darcy said. "Cool guy."

"Yes, teleportation is the basic gist of what I want to attempt." Jane said. "It would be best if I could actually see an event from the Tesseract, and analyse its energy, but I think I could do without. It would just take longer. I think." She added doubtfully.

"Jane, you will do it, I know you will." Don said, squeezing her hand gently.

"Well, at least one of us has faith in me." Jane said.

"You must have faith in you too." Don said, kissing the back of her hand. "You are wise, the wisest in all this realm I would wager. Of course you will do it."

"I don't know about wisest." Jane said, blushing helplessly. Why did she have to act like a teenager around him?

"The wisest." Don repeated, smiling widely.

"Wow, this is better than a rom-com." Agent Barton said with a wide grin.

"Since when do you watch rom-coms?" Agent Coulson asked.

"Tasha's been on a bit of a binge." Agent Barton explained. "Not a good idea to complain."

"Ah." Agent Coulson said. "I would agree with that."

"Are we, like, going to have to stay underground all the time?" Darcy asked. "Because that's going to become a huge bummer real quick."

"We allow our indentured… I mean prized employees off the reservation sometimes." Barton said with a shit-eating grin. Jane liked him; he didn't take himself as seriously as some of the other Men in Black did.

"What Agent Barton is trying to explain is that so long as you give us notice that you're going, where you're going and when about you'll be coming back, then you can leave whenever you want." Agent Coulson said, rolling his eyes at Agent Barton.

"Come on Phil, you're no fun." Agent Barton said, pouting.

"So I may take the Lady Jane on a date?" Don asked.

"What?" Jane asked, not sure if she'd heard right.

"My lady, you would honour me if you would allow me to take you on a date." Don said, bowing to her.

"Uh, okay." Jane said. "When?"

"Um, I do not know." Don said, looking confused.

"There's a few nice places in the town about 20 minutes from this base." Tess said, apparently taking pity on him. "We can help you find a good place for a first date, say, tomorrow night."

"Thank you." Don said. "Tomorrow night?"

"Okay." Jane said, flustered. She turned back to the Tesseract, blushing profusely.


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

"I can't believe I'm going out on a date!" Jane said, pulling at the skirt she'd put on. "And I can't believe I let you dress me."

"Jane, babe, I love you, but you have the fashion sense of my grandma." Darcy said, ignoring her to ransack her drawers. "Don't you have any jewellery?"

"It's not a good idea to wear anything that dangles around my equipment." Jane said, yanking at the tight v-neck shirt she was wearing.

"Quit that, you'll stretch the fabric." Darcy said, slapping her hand away from her shirt. "Relax. You're going out for coffee and to see a special showing of the first Star Wars movie. It's not like the guy's going to propose or something."

"I haven't been out on a date in ages." Jane said, flapping her arms in agitation. "What do I do? What do I say?"

"Janey-babe, the dude is in awe of you, and he is perfectly willing to let you ramble on about whatever." Darcy said, rolling her eyes. "Let him ask questions about you, it's not as though you can really ask questions about him."

"That's the other thing." Jane said. "What if he gets his memory back and finds out he's got a wife or something?"

"SHIELD can't find any records of him, didn't they tell you?" Darcy said. "No missing persons, no medical records, the guy really just appeared out of nowhere."

"He came from somewhere." Jane replied. "Whether or not that somewhere was on Earth is debatable, but he could still have someone else."

"So what?" Darcy said. "Have some fun for now, and if it turns out he does have some love of his life out there, you'd still have some good memories. Besides, he's got this sense about himself, have you noticed that, like the memories are there, they're just locked up, but the personality is still the same. If he had another girl, I don't think he'd be going for you."

"You don't know that though." Jane said.

"Nobody ever knows anything, you just gotta put yourself out there." Darcy said. "Trust me, it's not gonna be any easier than this next time."

"Why do you think I don't date?" Jane muttered. "That and guys tend to be intimidated by a woman who is smarter than they are."

"Pff, guys are idiots." Darcy said. "Which is why you wanna try and keep this one. Now come on, you're supposed to be meeting him in like five minutes."

%&%&%&%

"I am afraid, why am I afraid?" Don asked, tugging at his shirt sleeves.

"You're about to go on a date with a beautiful, very smart woman." Emmy replied, pulling his long hair into a ponytail and looking at it critically. Shi was helping him because shi was the only one with clothes anywhere near his size. "And you feel you have nothing to offer her."

"Aye. I feel woefully inadequate in light of her wisdom." Don said. "What have I, a man with no knowledge of himself, to offer her?"

"Love?" Emmy suggested. "Protection, maybe. You're very strong, after all."

"Perhaps, but it is not enough." Don declared.

"You know, I think she's having a very similar conversation right now." Emmy commented, braiding his hair now. Shi made a face at it and undid it.

"Why?" Don asked.

"Pretty girl with a big brain, probably been rejected many times." Emmy explained. "A lot of men don't like feeling inferior to their girlfriend."

"That is preposterous." Don declared.

"Och, you'll find no arguments from me, laddie." Emmy said with a laugh. "My wife was as sharp as they come, and I was only ever proud of her, and hoped…" Shi sighed heavily. "It's hard being so old sometimes."

"Do you ever feel like stopping?" Don asked.

"Sometimes." Emmy admitted. "Tess likes to say my reckless nature is just my wishes to die manifesting themselves. I'm not actively trying to kill myself though."

"Good, you would be missed." Don said.

"And that is why I have not died yet." Emmy said. "There, you look lovely." Shi said. Don looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt that had its sleeves rolled up. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and secured with a black ribbon.

"Is there anything I should bring for my lady?" He asked.

"I think for the first date you'll be fine." Emmy said. "Oh, that reminds me." Shi pulled a wallet out of hir pocket. "Bunch of us agents put in a collection, there's enough money for lunch and the movie in there. If she wants to pay for something, let her, but make sure to at least pay for something too."

"Alright." Don said, taking the wallet and putting it in his pocket. "I think I am ready."

%&%&%&%

The little café that Don had taken to her was cute, and had some good sandwiches. Not that Jane did much eating, explaining what she could potentially do with the energy of the Tesseract. "Jane, take a bite." Don reminded her when she stopped for breath.

"Oh, right." She said, blushing. She took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly.

"I have begun reading the manuals for SHIELD agents in training." Don said. Jane nodded at him. "I had to do a lot of internet… surfing, to get some of the context. It is difficult to learn things when you do not even have basic knowledge of geography."

"Do you need help?" Jane asked, swallowing.

"Nay, Clint was kind enough to help me with the internet and showing me how to search for things." Don said. "You can find anything on it."

"Sometimes you can find things you don't want to see." Jane warned him.

"Aye, I found that out already." Don said gravely. Jane choked on her coffee, trying not to laugh at his scandalized look.

"Don't worry, we've all been there." Jane said, patting his hand. "What have you learned?"

"I have learned much about the great hero, Captain America." Don said. "I wish to emulate him."

"Captain America, huh?" Jane said. "I think Agent Barton said something about Agent Coulson being a big fan of his."

"Indeed. Coulson showed me his card collection when I asked him about it." Don said. "I do not know why it is so interesting to have little scraps of paper like that."

"Some people like to collect things as a hobby." Jane explained. "I look at stars, for example."

"I thought that was your work?" Don asked.

"No, my work is observing phenomena." Jane replied. "I like to look up at the sky and feel small, if that makes any sense."

"You wish to feel small, so that you know that mistakes that you have made do not mean much in the long run?" Don asked after a moment's thought.

"Something like that, yeah." Jane agreed.

"I wish I had marvellous deeds to tell you." Don sighed. "To prove myself worthy of your regard."

Jane reached over the table and took his hand. "You're more than enough for me."


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

It didn't take too long for Jane to settle into a routine. She'd work on the Tesseract or her Einstein-Rosen research until Don or Darcy came to drag her away to sleep, eat or simply act like an ordinary human being. Sometimes she'd sit in on Don's lectures or training. She could tell he was really interested in what SHIELD did, and found herself interested as well.

Maybe she'd judged too quickly, but it was hard not to see SHIELD as the bad guys after they'd tried to take away her research. But the jack-booted thugs actually did some good in the world, going 'where angels feared to tread' if Emmy's stories were any indication of things.

In the few months since Jane had met Don they had gone on several dates, and Don was still completely smitten by her. That wasn't something Jane was used to. Most of the time guys spent a couple months patiently listening to her babble and then decided that having an excitable, very intelligent woman who was more interested in stars than kissing was not for them. Don never begrudged her for her passion though, never once sighed or fidgeted when she got excited over her work, just shared in her excitement. She wanted to keep him.

She was working at the computers in the 'Tesseract playroom' as Darcy called it, Don watching her, when an alarm went off. "What's that, do we need to get out?" Jane asked.

"No, it is merely a proximity alarm." Don assured her. "I will let you know if we need to evacuate."

"Okay." Jane said, giving him a smile. He smiled back at her, fondly. They'd finally come up with a full name for him. He'd agreed upon the name Donald Blake, and now had all the proper identification and records needed to be an actual person that existed on planet Earth; seemed like working for a spy organization had its perks.

Sometime later she heard a commotion and looked up as Don got to his feet, blocking the way of a smaller man with dark hair and a goatee. "Hey, come on, Conan, I want to play too." He whined.

"You're not authorized to be here." Don said in a warning tone.

"Don, it's fine." Clint Barton said, grinning. "I don't think that anyone can stop Tony fucking Stark when he wants something."

"If you do anything to harm her work…" Don said, letting the implied threat hang in the air.

"Hey, no worries He-Man, I'll play nice." Tony Stark said, ducking under Don's arm. "So, you must be Doctor Foster." He said, sauntering up to Jane. "Your papers are very interesting."

"Nobody reads my papers." Jane said with surprise.

"I do." Don said.

"Yes, you do." Jane said, smiling at him. "And I do love you for that. What I mean is those in the scientific community don't read my papers."

"Well, they should." Don said, smiling softly.

"You two are so sweet I'm getting cavities." Stark declared. "I got interested when I found out that someone was actually applying for some of the little scholarships that no one ever applies for through Stark Industries. Did a little digging on you, cross-space travel, huh?"

"It's a little more complex than that, but that is what I'm hoping we can achieve with the Tesseract, Mr. Stark." Jane said.

"Just Tony." Tony replied. "Talking science with someone who can't call me by my first name gives me hives. So, let's have a look at this, huh, Space Cadet?"

Jane explained what they had found so far, and about the Einstein-Rosen event that had brought Don to them. "No mad scientists trying to cut up your Space Boyfriend?" Tony asked.

"No, he's working for them, or at least training to." Jane said.

"They would not dare try and cut me open." Don said. "My Lady Jane scares them too much."

"He's not kidding about that." Clint said. "Small but mighty."

"Well Mighty Mouse, riddle me this," Tony said. "If this is meant to create some form of portal to another part of the universe, don't you think there's going to be some frictional forces and backlash acting on the support system here?"

"Yes, what's your point?" Jane asked. Tony grabbed the supports and shook them a little bit. It swayed alarmingly.

"I'm an engineer, and I can tell when something is not going to support what it's going to support." Tony explained. "Good thing I showed up, I can make something better no problem."

"And what do you want in return?" Coulson asked, appearing out of the shadows in that way he had. He wasn't always around, but it often seemed like he just appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared for days at a time.

"Weeeelllll, I was going to ask for access to the SHIELD networks, buuuutttt, I think I'll settle for being allowed to come and play with Doctor Tiny Foster here whenever I want." Tony said. "I get so lonely for the presence of another genius sometimes." He sighed melodramatically. Jane heard Darcy snicker behind her.

"I suppose we can allow that." Coulson sighed. "Why now?" He asked.

"I was curious about where you disappeared to after leaving me to the tender mercies of a red-headed hellion." Tony said.

"Hey, if she didn't stab you she was being friendly." Clint said with a laugh.

"Does being stabbed with a needle full of medicine count?" Tony asked. Clint laughed again. "So you know the red-haired devil."

"Oh, she's my partner." Clint said. "We're not always together, but we always come back together."

"You're a braver man than me, hanging around with her all the time." Tony said, holding out his hand. "Tony Stark."

"Clint Barton." Clint replied, shaking his hand. "She complained about you, which is probably the only reason you're still alive."

"Terrifying." Tony intoned seriously. "So, basic structure's okay, but it's a little too rigid, and the material, I mean potentially this thing's going to generate a lot of heat if it goes off, right?"

"My calculations say that it would cause an endothermic reaction, actually." Jane said.

"So the material's got to be able to withstand cold temperatures without shattering." Tony said. "It's got to be able to sort of flex with immense energy pouring through it, but strong enough to hold up to frictional forces."

"Sounds complicated." Darcy commented.

"Complicated is what I do best, my lovely young friend." Tony said. "And you are…?"

"Darcy Lewis, professional Jane wrangler." Darcy replied.

"I have a Tony wrangler myself, she's called Pepper." Tony commented. "Does yours drag you out of playtime to eat or sleep?" He asked Jane.

"Yes." Jane sighed. "Her and Don both do now."

"Only because we love you, Janey-babe!" Darcy said in a sing-song voice. Jane stuck her tongue out at her.

"Ooh, where have you been all my life?" Tony sighed. "So much fun. Maybe I can steal you away, get you to work for me instead?" He asked hopefully.

"Not unless you've got another one of these hanging around in a basement somewhere." Jane said, gesturing to the Tesseract.

"Damn." Tony said, pouting. "Find a new friend and she doesn't even want to play with me, life is so cruel."

"You are a dork." Darcy declared. "I wonder if the rest of the world knows."

"How dare you imply that you will sully my reputation." Tony said, shaking a finger at Darcy. Darcy just laughed at him. "Well, I know when I'm not wanted." He huffed, getting up. "I should have something else made for you in… let's say a week."

"Don't you need to take pictures of it or measurements?" Jane asked.

"JARVIS has got them already." He tapped his eye. "Been experimenting with a retina cam, but it needs work because it hurts like a bitch right now. Anyways, gotta run before Pepper gives me an earful. Toodles!"

He sauntered back out and Jane exhaled loudly. "God, just talking to him is exhausting." She said.

"You have no idea." Coulson replied, shaking his head.


End file.
